Can you call it love if it drives you mad? Infatuation maybe. Obsession absolutely. But Claire speaks worlds of truths about many men who are attracted to fragile beauty who “only care during a crisis”.
The framing of the Andromaque rehearsal, the documentary crew and Claire’s recordings all offer different views of reality and its pressures. But like Racine’s play - there is far more madness and tragedy than true love in this film.
Stands strong with Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage, Allen’s Husbands and Wives and more recently Wilde’s The Invite, as films that lay the dark side of a relationship bare.
Obvious influence on Hamaguchi for the structure and length of Drive My Car.